….. All That We Can Be is the gritty*, but ultimately uplifting, story of a year in the life of Benhar Academy, a secondary school in the post-industrial heartlands of Central Scotland.
The life of the school community – itself a key character in the book – is captured in the stories of some of its teachers and pupils as they progress through the ups and downs of the school year. Con Cunningham, in his first probationary year as a teacher, is both naive and optimistic. He’s wrestling with different challenges in his personal life and in his work, as he moves from being a laid-back Art student to earning a living…. but this year in the life of the ‘Benhar Academy’ community is not just about Con. The reader also gets to know Nella, the feisty Head of the Design Faculty, Ken a grisled Falklands War veteran who teaches Technical Education and Karine, a sparky young PE teacher, among other teachers in the school.
Some of the pupils are also key characters in the story, for example Chelsea, 15 going on 25 and desperate to leave school; Crawford, who’s had a difficult life so far and whose natural talents lie in violence; Elton, the school’s finest artist; and Mikey, Crawford’s slightly off-beam sidekick.
The lives of the teachers and the pupils intertwine – in friendship and in rivalry, in love and in hate – as they cope, or fail to cope, with the challenges life throws at them, both in and out of school. At year end, will they be any closer to being all that they can be?
Buy it as an e.book or printed book at https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09G97F3SL. where you can meet some of the key characters in the first chapter free of charge.
- the story is realistic in its portrayal of the lives of teenagers, so expect a bit of swearing and a fair bit of interest in sex!!
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